"But a boardroom pitch wasn't enough to close the deal. Johnson invited Schultz to spend a Friday night at one of the 6-foot-9 former point guard's movie theaters. The visit coincided with the opening night of the Whitney Houston vehicle Waiting to Exhale, and the theater's lobby and screening rooms were packed. "Our biggest screen had 500 women inside. All of a sudden every woman thought she knew Whitney Houston personally and started talking to the screen," Johnson recalled. "So Howard grabs me about 20 minutes in and says, 'Earvin, I never had a movie-going experience quite like this.' Guess what happened? That got me the deal."

Frappuccinos, lattes and Pike Place Roast are on the menu at a Magic Johnson-owned Starbucks, but there are subtle differences between the former basketball star's coffee shops and the chain's other locations. Instead of jazz standards and easy listening, R&B music plays on the stereo. There is extra space for meetings of community and church groups, and bulletin boards where local residents can post neighborhood news and events. "People said there's no way Latinos and African-Americans will pay $3 for a cup of coffee. Yes, we will pay $3, but we don't eat scones," Johnson stated. "I had to take scones out of my Starbucks and put in pound cake, Sock It to Me cake and sweet potato pie -- things that resonate with the urban consumer. You have to know your customer and you have to speak to that customer every day."

I didn't grow up eating scones, but I do now and I love them! They're so close to biscuits that someone who grew up on southern foods would probably love them! Notice how I stopped myself from making a definitive generalization?